Archives

March 31st, 2009

Dual bladder wings have come back in style. We launched this concept back in 1996 and as divers evolved the demand decreased.

Now there is a demand again through awareness and/or requirements from training agencies.

The new EXP has grommets in place to add the backup bladder to the Rec, Classic and Nomad models. You can upgrade to a dual model later or purchase a dual with the backup installed. The part number for the backup bladder assembly for the REC and Classic is BC4350-Dual and the Nomad is BC4550-Dual.

March 23rd, 2009

I am clarifying my blog about the use of silicone lubricants on the O2ptima breathing loop because I received some questions that made me realize I needed to give you more information.

I posted the first one out of frustration with what I had seen on units coming in for annual service. We were cleaning enough Christo-Lube from the head and loops to lubricate over 100 regulators. It was simply unreal. One unit could not pass the negative canister test due to the debris attracted to the seals from excess lubricant. You can use Fluorosilicone lubricant commonly known as food grade silicone on the head seals without problem. If you use non food grade silicone on the silicone seals of the head it could lead to the o-rings swelling because it can be absorbed by silicone o-rings. So use either food grade silicone lubricant on the loop or Tribolube 71, which is an inert lubricant.

If you can see the lubricant you have used too much and it can actually prevent the seals from sealing properly because the excess will attract debris. The most common debris found is hair strands which will prevent a good seal.

Remember more is not better when you are lubricating the seals on your breathing loop. If you have too much lubricant and it gets in the loop, guess where it goes. It’s your breathing loop.

March 22nd, 2009

O2ptima divers who want a fast method for sensor calibration without having to fill the loop can now use our Calibration Caps. They help to conserve gas with small cylinders. We came up with a calibration cap set that consists of an inlet cap with a BC hose connection to plug your manual oxygen hose into and an exhaust cap fitted with a mushroom valve so you can evacuate the canister and fill it with oxygen for calibration. Since it is a mushroom valve you can’t overpressurize the canister while calibrating. It’s simple to use and carry with you. DRT-27-CAL We’ll post pics in a day or two.

Also, the Quick Release buckles for the 1.5 inch cam straps are in-stock. You can add them to any of the 1.5” cam straps on the O2ptima tanks or a stage bottle. We used to use these same buckles for independent doubles on 2” cam straps years ago. No more having to reweave the cam buckle. BC2036-QR .

We’ve added a 60 micron filter to the solenoid inlet on the O2ptima. This should help keep the solenoid from getting any debris in it when disconnecting the oxygen hose. I just finished six hours of CCR time with the filter in place. We need to modify your solenoid inlet to accept the filter. Call or email service at service@diverite.com to send your head in if you want us to install the filter.

March 16th, 2009

After we decided to drop the Super Wing from the line this year a few people panicked. When we introduced it in 1995 it was very popular, tech diving was still in its infancy and more gas and bigger bottles was the dive plan. For some the Super Wing with 100 lbs of lift was the answer to the current-day floating the mass of gear. Now that we have gas computers and decompression programs, we do more with less equipment. This is the reason we took the Super Wing off line.
We now have the Classic EXP, which serves the same function as the Super Wing with 68 lbs of lift. Is it enough?? The Nomad EXP only has 60 lbs and I have no trouble with two sidemount steel 120, three aluminum 80, two aluminum 40s on a dive. It actually scares me to think I need 100 lbs of lift to do a dive. That’s what rebreathers are for.

March 11th, 2009

The beta test run complete and we are now in full production. The manual is ready, it is located in our library or under downloads in the NiTek X of our product catalog. The NiTek X functions are almost identical to the NiTek He, but there are a few idiosyncrasies to the X because of CC mode integration.

We will add an entry in our Solution Finder for frequently asked questions on the NiTek X. Please send in your questions to us through Customer Service or give us a call so we can build the database.

March 1st, 2009

I have been asked about a screen protector for the NiTek X. Zagg has one. As a matter of fact they have had it for months. I ordered some a few months ago to find it was for the NiTek He. After discovering they had the wrong computer for the shield, I contacted them and gave them the proper dimensions for the NiTek X display. I ordered some and installed it on my X. It does the job so if you are looking for a Nitek X screen protector follow the link.